1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle input apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
In the related art, for example, on-vehicle equipment is disclosed in which a sliding operation using the fingertip of a driver is performed on a touch pad (slide pad) disposed on a steering wheel in a state where a plurality of menu items are displayed on a monitor, and according to this, a cursor is moved with respect to the plurality of menu items and a desired menu item can be selected (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. H11-105646).
However, in the on-vehicle equipment according to the related art, a touch pad is disposed at the center portion of a steering wheel, and thereby, an operation range (area) of an operation surface is widely secured. However, it is necessary for a driver to remove one hand from the steering wheel at the time of a sliding operation, and there is a problem in that the operability is deteriorated.
In order to solve such a problem, for example, in the related art, an input apparatus in which a touch pad is disposed on a spoke portion of a steering wheel is disclosed (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2009-298285).
However, in an input apparatus according to the related art, due to the shape of a steering wheel or other switches that are present in the periphery of the spoke portion, there is a problem in that it is difficult to sufficiently secure the area of the operation surface of the touch pad.